Women’s basketball team drops opening weekend

The Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball team, ranked as the preseason number one team, opened their season in the Crossover Classic. The Broncos took on Point Loma on Thursday, and then hosted Azusa Pacific on Saturday.

The Broncos fought hard in both games, losing both games in nail biters that came down to the final seconds of the game.

In the first game against the Point Loma Sea Lions, the Broncos came out fighting in the first half, taking a 27-26 lead into the half.

However, the second half was a different story.

Poor shooting from the field and some costly turnovers allowed Point Loma to outplay and outscore the Broncos. The Sea Lions outplayed and outscored the Broncos in the second half, 37-33.

Ultimately, the game came down to the last minute. Senior center Jada Blackwell fired a shot from behind the arc with 0.1 seconds left. The shot failed to go in, and the Broncos lost 63-60.

There were some great players that shined against Point Loma and positive plays to take away from the game. Blackwell played well and led the Broncos with 24 points and three blocks in 33 minutes. Senior guard and star shooter Ariel Marsh also stood out, dropping 11 points in 34 minutes.

As a whole, the Broncos shot great from the free throw line, shooting 72.7 percent and out-rebounded the Sea Lions, 39-29.

On Saturday, CPP took on host school Azusa Pacific. Like Point Loma, the Broncos came out strong. Blackwell led all scorers with 14 points in the first half, as the Broncos and Cougars took a 30-30 draw at the first half.

The second was another even fight. The score ending 66-66 and went into overtime.

The game ultimately went into double overtime, where the Broncos fell 85-81 to the Cougars.

The seniors led the team again in Saturday’s game. Blackwell posted a double-double, finishing with 36 points and 11 rebounds.

Marsh had 14 points of her own, adding four assists to her stat line.

Blackwell, last year’s California Collegiate Athletic Association and West Region Player of the Year, was selected as the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II Preseason Player of the Year.

“Our players played their hearts out,” said head coach Danelle Bishop. “They did their best with their current limitations without having 10 healthy players.”

Health will be a concern for the Broncos this season, as they only have 11 players on the roster, and not all of them are healthy.

The Broncos come back home to Kellogg Gym to take on Academy of Art on Wednesday, before traveling to Burnaby, British Columbia to take on Simon Fraser on Sunday.